1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gas filter device and more particularly to an improved gas filter device adapted to be installed between an exhaust emission control device and an intake manifold.
2. Prior Art
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,360,131 and 3,782,083 each disclose a filter device having a single filter element to be used in the passageway of a gas utilization system for filtering the gas. It is difficult to sufficiently filter the gas by such filter devices. Therefore, a prior art gas filter device having two filter elements has been proposed as shown in FIG. 4 of the accompanying drawings of this application. In this type of gas filter device 140, a first filter element 165 is located on a retaining plate 160 having multiple passageways 161, which is mounted on a flange 145 of a body member 141. A second filter element 168 engages the first filter element 165 opposite plate 160. The intake atmospheric gases including petrol mist, dust, soot, and other foreign materials pass from an inlet port 143 of a screw nipple 142 to an outlet port 152 of extension nipple 151 through the passageways 161 and the two filter elements 165 and 168. Consequently, such foreign materials are channeled or forced through the two filter elements and will flow to the outlet port 152 as shown by the arrows in FIG. 4. As a result, the outlet port 152 is likely to clog with the foreign materials so that the durability of the filter element in the conventional gas filter device as shown in FIG. 4 is poor.